Why I want to teach yoga

I've nearly finished the first half of my yoga teacher training with Mark Stephens. I am revisiting my original intention for teaching yoga, again asking why I want teach, and to what audience. My current guess is that I have a selfish reason for teaching, so selfish it doesn't matter who my audience is.

My original intention was to work with senior citizens and chemotherapy patients, because of personal experience. My reasoning was that members of both groups would enjoy increased awareness of the ways in which they are alive while they face acute physical and emotional challenges. One of the primary objectives of yoga asana practice is developing and maintaining awareness in difficult situations. When I think about working with members of these communities, I usually have a strong emotional response and get a lump in my throat. However, I'm just as excited to teach yoga to my friends as I am to senior citizens and chemo patients. I think I created this explanation to convince myself that teacher training would result in useful action. I wanted to have a plan.

I get excited about teaching yoga when I think about sharing joy. I feel movement -- in yoga, dance, sports -- is a celebration of life, a luxury. When I savor every movement, including limited movement when I'm injured or ill or sore, I am reminded that little things can yield boundless joy. And the joy I find in little things -- in movement, seeing someone smile, watching trees -- blossoms into an awareness of the joy that surrounds me. I want to share these feelings with everyone, but I don't know how. Perhaps I am selfishly hoping to encourage awareness of the goodness of life by teaching yoga, and increase the opportunities I have to celebrate these feelings with others.

I'm comfortable with this explanation, because it comes from observing my heart and feelings. My rational mind understands this explanation, even if it doesn't understand why I get excited about asana practice and seeing trees sway in the wind. Though this explanation doesn't tell me what comes next or where I'm going, it tells me I'm on the right path. Even if I can't share my joy directly, I'll bet I can share my enthusiasm for yoga. I don't know who I'll be teaching, but if I'm very lucky, maybe I'll witness someone else finding joy in their practice of focus, awareness, and union.